Cool Kale Pesto

One of the neat things about my workplace is that there are raised garden beds surrounding the building in which employees grow flowers, vegetables, herbs, or whatever they wish. I signed up for a plot (and adopted one) soon after I began work in August. I grew kale! I planted a variety called Ethiopian kale; a friend gave me the seeds back in Jacksonville, FL a few summers ago.

The kale did so well this fall in Richmond; however, we are having such an unseasonably warm winter, that it has begun to bolt!


I decided to harvest the last of it before either, A) "real" winter comes or B) it becomes too bitter since bolting. I picked the now tiny leaves before I left work today.


First, I thought I'd steam them. Then I considered sauteing them with coconut oil. Thanks to my coworker, Deb, for the coconut oil gift! I noticed that the Spectrum coconut oil she gave me smelled like delicious coconut, much more so than the Tree of Life jar I'm almost finished with. I remember being surprised upon opening Tree of Life that it didn't really smell like coconut. Anyone have a favorite brand? My dear friend Elizabeth, who is studying nutrition at the same school I graduated from, loves coconut oil. She keeps a jar in her medicine cabinet and a jar in her kitchen.


In the end, I couldn't bare to put heat to these tender little greens, so in the spirit of Raw Summer, I decided to make a kale pesto. I happened to also borrow a little parsley from someone's garden at work. My recipe was something like this:

Peel kale from tough center stalk and put in food processor.


I added about 4 cloves of garlic, a lot (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 cup) of olive oil, a few sprigs of parsley, a few fresh basil leaves from my window plant (which is doing so well!), a touch of salt, and hit the blend button.


I had to scrape the sides of the food processor pretty often because the pesto would stick to the edges:

Voila!


I was a little worried that it would be too bitter... It was delicious! I ate it on toast, and it smelled wonderful!

Pesto: a nutritious, versatile, raw, tasty, meal or snack.

Omega-3s

A hot topic these days, omega-3 fatty acids are indeed essential, and vegans need to get creative to ensure adequate intake! The one supplement I do take pretty regularly (memory-dependent) is my vegan DHA/EPA supplement. I've tried a few different brands over the years, and honestly, I just buy whichever ones are cheapest at the time. I usually buy six or so bottles at a time to save on shipping and to ensure that I have them on hand, all the more encouragement in actually taking them.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are two of the omega-3 essential fatty acids that make up much of the brain and help fight depression, Alzheimer's, and maybe even ADHD. Most readily available food sources are things like salmon. But for vegans and vegetarians, we need to think outside the fish.

Best vegan food sources of omega-3s include flaxseed, flax oil, chia seeds and walnuts. Many other grains and vegetables have omega-3s, but the aforementioned are real powerhouses. They are, however, alpha lenolenic acids (ALA). Basically, what this means is that in the carbon chain that makes up fatty acids, the hydrogen bonds are in different places, which create different kinks in the chain. As with proteins, different shapes equal different properties and attributes. With this in mind, ALA can be converted by the body into DHA. I learned in school that conversion was very poor - about 10%. However, recent studies have shown it might be higher, especially in a body system that is vegan or vegetarian. This reminds me of how folks with low iron can absorb more iron from their food than those with adequate stored iron.

So! Not only do I try to take my V-Pure DHA/EPA supplement,

but I've begun to pre-prepare ground flax and chia seeds for my breakfast. You can buy ground flax at the store, but I would advise against it. The fragile omega-3 fatty acids go rancid very quickly, and without knowing how long ago they were ground, I would recommend grinding them yourself. If you don't grid them, they will probably just pass right through you; your body cannot break down the small, hard seeds. What I've begun doing, is blending about a quarter cup of flax and a quarter cup of chia seeds in my blender.


It takes seriously about one minute! Then I put the ground seeds in a jar in the freezer to keep my omega-3s nice and fresh! I sprinkle them on top of my oats and yogurt in the morning with some honey, and it is delicious!

Toasty Pizza!

Like any other member of the human species, I sometime get the urge to order pizza. This particular night, we ordered from Papa John's. I got a no-cheese, extra sauce pizza with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and black olives. It was absolutely delicious.

The following night, I wished I had more pizza, but, alas, pizza is pricey. I've made my own whole wheat pizza crusts before. It's not difficult, but it does take time for the dough to rise and whatnot. This day, I decided to buy a whole wheat crust at the store and just add sauce and toppings and maybe even spring for some Daiya cheese. This ended up being a disappointing venture.

The only whole wheat pizza crust I could find - between two stores - had some gross-looking dried up cheese sprinkled on it, and Daiya cheese, while delicious, is $4.99 where I live. So, taking all the disappointment into account, it was time to revamp my plan. I went to the bread aisle. I was going to make mini toasty pizzas!

I bought the whole wheat bread and the pizza sauce. Before I left for the store, I had rehydrated some dried shiitake mushrooms in water.


I sauced the bread, added the chopped mushrooms, some broccoli, tomato and sprinkled them with minced garlic. Then I baked them for about 30 minutes. (Keep in mind things take much longer to bake in my ancient oven.) The end result was pretty good! Crunchy, saucy, pizza-y deliciousness. And it was easy!

"Hummus is to vegetarians and vegans what air is to the rest of humanity."

The quotation above is as stated by Isa Chandra Moskowitz in her book Veganomicon, the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. In preparation for my wwoofing adventures this summer, I am doing some serious downsizing on the amount of stuff that I own - including, and most difficult of all, books and cookbooks. However, the two cookbooks I use most often, and that are coming with me on the road, are hers: Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance.

I remember as a recent vegetarian freshman in college the first time I tried to make hummus. I don't think I used a recipe because it didn't turn out quite right. In conversing with a friend in Nutrition 101 class about it, he pointed out the problem: I didn't use (or know of, for that matter) tahini. Nowadays, I consider myself a hummus-making expert. I wouldn't say I make it as often as I once did (almost a daily basis in college), but it is a quick, easy staple that is versatile and nutritious! And, as a grazer, it is easy for me to snack on throughout the day.

Here is a meal idea for hummus with dehydrated flax crackers. My dear friend, Brittany, gifted these crunchy crackers to me. She made them herself.

This Year, Know Your Food

A Stonyfield Farms advertisement caught my eye recently: "This Year, Know Your Food." Hmm, I thought. I want to know my food. I went to their site iwillknowmyfood.com to check out the "food adventure" sweepstakes. The winner would receive a fridge makeover and a visit to Stonyfield Farms. I decided not to enter the contest because, coincidentally, I am planning a year of getting to know my food.

As most people have, in New Years past, I have made resolutions. Some I’ve stuck with, others have faded with the passing of the months and finally been forgotten. Late in 2011, I happened upon a book which suggested a different idea: Establishing a “theme” for a desired transition in life doesn’t have to be set at the New Year, but for me it was perfect timing. My theme for 2012 and beyond is “Getting My Hands Dirty”. Having finished college, completed my dietetic internship, and passed the arduous Registered Dietitian exam, I saw no clear next steps in front of me. Because my world was wide open, I began to unlock the possibilities and think critically and carefully about my next steps. I felt I needed some real world experience before reentering the realm of academia. It felt wrong to begin a master's of sustainable food systems without ever having worked on a farm.


This year I plan to participate in WWOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farmers) in a jump to get my hands dirty, literally, and to actually experience the philosophies I am so passionate about. I am mostly looking to wwoof at homesteads, more so than larger farms. Most of the wwoof hosts I've contacted are small homesteads that primarily live off the land and sell some produce at nearby markets. Some are off the grid, described as "insanely committed camping". All those I've contacted so far have been rural, but it would be great to experience an urban homestead as well. After all, it seems to me that since most folks live in cities, urban homesteading is a huge part of creating sustainability in our world. One of the farms I might wwoof at is in Bath, NY. If I do make it there, I might just have to get an experience in urban homesteading in NYC. That would be the ultimate urban farming experience!


I'm trying to leave my plan open-ended enough to allow for spontaneous opportunities to come at me (like NYC); however, I do want to have enough contacts when I set out that I won't be wasting time on the trip trying to find farms that aren't full. Two notes I've written to myself in my wwoofing planning folder are: Don't squeeze too much in! and Don't be afraid to waver from the plan! Yes, since I am usually an over-planner, I need to write these things in as reminders.

What do you think the importance of hands-on experience is? Have you ever been a farming intern? Is it important to you to know your food?

Tiny Kitchen Tour

For some reason, whether it's because I'm veg or because I'm a dietitian, people ask me quite often what I eat or what it is I'm eating. Most of the time I don't mind sharing ideas, but to be honest, a lot of the time I can't think of a good answer simply because I don't remember. I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my own unique recipes or alterations of common meals and snacks to equip me to better answer this question in the future.

As a side note, I am always astonished at what insults people will throw at you in regards to food. I can't tell you how many times someone will come up to me while I'm eating and heckle me about my food, which is kind of insulting. Generally, it is not socially acceptable to go up to someone and say, "Your dress looks disgusting. I could never wear that dress. Ew." How is it any different with food? "Your meal looks gross. I could never eat your food. Ugh." I get this all the time. Has this ever happened to you?

However, don't let these impolite gestures dissuade you from trying my recipe ideas. Most people do know how to be courteous about food, and I've received far more compliments than "ews". Besides, I think most of the folks who generate comments like the above are closed-minded and addicted to the SAD (standard American diet) and haven't had much cultural or dietary adventure in their lives.

That said, I also thought it would be handy to show you the kitchen I'm working in. I have the tiniest kitchen I've ever seen. Maybe besides my college dorm which hardly counts as a kitchen (sink, counter, microwave); however, I did have more counter space in the dorm! My kitchen is about 10'x7'. This is the best view of the whole kitchen I could get, dirty dishes and all:

The amazing antique cast iron sink station and cabinets (see my kombucha mama on top of the fridge!):


Luckily, even though our kitchen is teeny tiny, we do have a 1911 apartment building with high ceilings. We build up! I nailed the scavenged drawers to the wooden wall as shelving for my dried herbs, spices, oils, nutritional yeast, bulk seeds & grains, my partner's whiskey collection, and other essentials:

My partner built these beautiful shelves for my heavy duty cookware. Here you can also see our mini antique gas stove (more on it later!):


I have about one square foot of counter space which is a shelf with drawers on wheels. I have the essential knives, all free or thrift store/farmers market finds: bread, paring, chef's, cleaver:


Other essential equipment: my vintage glass Waring blender (thrift) and food processor (gift). My dad called me "the girl who doesn't go anywhere without her food processor" when I was petsitting one weekend and made sure to bring it along! You can also see my vermicompost bin. I made it out of another scavenged drawer and used shredded office paper from my work. It's great for small spaces and apartment composting as it doesn't take up a lot of space, requires little maintenance and doesn't smell. I've used the worm castings on my houseplants!


Arthur, my blind kitty, can't resist the boxes:


I also have a window shelf for cups, basil, lemongrass and cacti. I love that my tiny kitchen has two windows! The natural light is amazing! As you can see, I recently began purchasing reverse osmosis water from my local health food store mainly to use for my fermented tonic beverages like kombucha and water kefir. These SCOBYs (symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast) don't like chlorine or chloramine. However, since neither do your intestinal flora, it is good to eliminate these chemicals from your drinking and cooking and, if you can, your bathing water.


Since my kitchen is so small and I use it so many times a day, I have had to get creative with the space. I use the top of the refrigerator for a shelf and acquired a thrift store stepping stool to help me reach the highest places. The hardest part about this tiny kitchen, by far, has been the utter lack of counter space. I love the vintage cast iron sink unit and all of the character of the ancient mini gas stove.

So, now you know that all the recipe ideas to follow can be accomplished in any kitchen!